A Mother Who Was Also A Grandmother

There was a mother and she was also a grandmother. As a mother she had raised a free thinking, liberated daughter. Shejust didn’t know what that really meant until much later. But when the time came, she saw her early seeds burst into full bloom and explode.

The daughter at age twenty, had decided at long last to divorce her husband who simply had never grown up. She was tired of supporting him, listening to his great promises that were never kept. When her children had been born, she realized it was time to be responsible. Living on the edge in rebellion against authority figures had been fun and probably necessary in some respects. But now, she was beginning to see things differently. Having allowed her husband freedom to try many jobs, pursue many plans, none of which worked, she made the decision to return home and complete her college degree. She knew she would be the sole support of these children and she knew they deserved better.

At times people come into Clare’s home when they are so emotionally wrought, they don’t know what to do. So, wherever they are, they seek Clare’s light and guidance.

This is what the grandmother found herself doing. She helped out with childcare and finances. She was there to help get everyone back in balance. She was good at that; caretaking seemed to be her second name.

The separation and eventual divorce was bitter. Of all the destructive things that occurred, the grandmother told Clare of the one scene burned into her memory and her heart.

The father had the boys out for a few hours as part of his visit. When he returned with them, the older boy rushed into the house and his room. This child was actually more bonded with his father, but he was one who kept things inside.

The younger child was different. He was very young, maybe two, but he always knew what he wanted and demanded just that. He clung to his father to the point that the mother had to pull him away. She brought him into the house as his father screamed.

..Don’t worry, son I’llbe back to get you and she’ll never see you again.”

He jumped into is truck and left much rubber behind as he drove off. Grandma witnessed all of this. As her daughter brought the two year old in,

kicking and screaming, she closed and locked the door. The boy cried and screamed hysterically all the while kicking and beating at the door. In a few moments the daughter crumbled to the floor holding herself as she cried.

“Maybe I should just let him have them.”

Now Grandma knew that would be the worse thing that could happen to those little boys. She watched the two year old still screaming and kicking at the door. She watched her daughter emotionally wrenched on the floor. She heard the soft sobbing coming from the older boy’s bedroom. For one of the first times in her life, shejust didn’t know what to do. So, as tears ran down her face, as her body churned with suppressed emotion, she asked Clare to help because she knew she needed to be strong especially now, and…she simply didn’t know what else to do.